Resources and Climate

The French economy is mostly free market based like the US, and it is one of the largest in the world. In 2019, it ranked seventh in the world and second in Europe. Here are a few figures. Its Gross Domestic Product (monetary value of everything that was produced in given year) was 7 trillion US dollars. The minimum wage was 1,500 Euros per month (in 2019), which is pretty cool. What is not so cool is that the unemployment rate was 8.1% in February 2020 and the government debt was 98.4% of the GDP.

Agriculture in France is very important. France's mild climate, reliable rainfalls and its big fields make growing crops easy. French agriculture produces 1/5 of Europe's output and more than one third of production of vegetable oil, cereals and wine. Most arable lands are found in the north and west of France. France is a major agricultural exporter: about one eighth of the total value of its exports is related to agriculture and associated food and drink. Here are a few things produced by France: wheat, corn, barley, oat, grapes, apples, pears, vegetables, sugar beets, potatoes, cows, pigs and chicken.

France is the most popular country for tourists to visit because of all the sites and the food. The Eiffel Tower was designed by Gustave Eiffel and is the most visited site in Paris. Le Mont Saint Michel is an Island half the time. At high tide, it is surrounded by water. At low tide there’s a bunch of sand surrounding the island. There is a giant church taking up the whole top of the island. The Louvre is the world’s largest Museum. It is the most visited Museum too, and it used to be the king’s palace.

France has seven major branches of manufacturing.

1-Vehicles, Peugeot S.A. and Renault are two giant auto makers in Europe. Michelin is a world famous tire maker.

2-Chemical industry. France has many chemical manufactures which includes organic chemicals (like plastics) inorganic chemicals (like paint), pharmaceuticals (like medicines), and perfumes. The biggest chemical company in France is Rhône Poulenc.

3-Metallurgy, Two important materials found in France are iron ore and bauxite, which are used to make steel and aluminum respectively. Pechinet is an important industry producing these metals.

4-Mechanical and civil engineering. France is a leading country for aerospace (Areospaciale) and bullet trains (TGV).

5-Electronics. France is a big producer of professional electronics like radars, but they don't produce lowly electronics like headphones or computers.

6- Fooooood!!!!!!

The French currency changed from the Franc to the Euro on January 1st, 1999.

There are 3 climate regions in France. The Oceanic region, near the ocean, has constant temperature all year round and lots of rain. The Continental region is near Germany, and there are hot and humid summers and cold and dry winters. The Mediterranean climate, near the Mediterranean Sea, has not very cold and dry winters and hot and dry summers.